EU leaders agreed Thursday on new measures aimed at addressing Europe’s migration crisis, including a tentative cash-for-cooperation deal with Turkey and a push to boost protection of the Union’s external borders, Politico reported.
It was the fourth time in six months that the leaders gathered in Brussels to forge a European response to the massive influx of refugees from the Middle East. Once again regional and political divisions made finding consensus difficult before the summit wrapped up a few minutes after midnight on Friday morning.
But despite frustration on the part of many of summit participants that they were still grappling with issues they have fought over for months — including a relocation plan for asylum-seekers — leaders were determined to show that they were taking concrete steps to mitigate the crisis.
“Tonight leaders took some important decisions that will help secure the European Union’s external borders,” said European Council President Donald Tusk, who expressed “cautious optimism” about the results of the meeting.
“Progress on genuine border security is a very real achievement of tonight,” Tusk said. “It is our first obligation to protect the European community and to guarantee public order.”
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said EU countries also promised to deliver on humanitarian aid contributions they had previously committed to, after criticism from Brussels that their money was not flowing quickly enough to address the crisis.
The agreement with Turkey proved the most important decision of the evening. The pending deal would offer significant financial aid — Turkey wants up to €3bn— and a promise to consider speeding up visa liberalisation for Turkish citizens traveling to Europe in exchange for help coping with the flow of Syrian refugees through the country.
While the deal got a preliminary show of support from EU leaders, it is by no means final. Some countries, such as France and Greece, are wary of giving Turkey too much before seeing proof that Ankara will offer real cooperation. Others, such as Germany, are concerned about the money.
“An agreement with Turkey only makes sense if it contains the flow of refugees,” Tusk said.
The actual amount of aid money in the package is yet to be defined, Juncker said the final amount will “be part of the discussion in the coming days with Turkey.”
The issue of Turkish accession to the EU has been a thorny one, with talks on hold for several years over concerns about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian rule.
The proposed deal would hold out the possibility of re-opening at least some parts of those negotiations.